The Yoga of Real Life

Muladhara Chakra: Grounding and Group Beliefs

Welcome to Practically Yoga’s 2nd Minimalist Chakras post. Our chakra this month is Muladhara Chakra. As a quick refresher, Muladhara chakra can be summed up below.

Since we are trying to keep these minimalist chakra posts..well..minimal, each post will present a question that encapsulates each chakra.

For Muladhara chakra this question is:

“What belief patterns did you inherit from your family? Which of these beliefs no longer serve you?”

Woah, heavy question I know. But since it is a holiday weekend here in Canada and you will likely be spending some time with loved ones, it could be useful to unpack this a little bit for yourself. Something specific may not spring to mind immediately. Or maybe you already have a laundry list of beliefs in your head right now. These beliefs can be about anything, like your views on how the world works and your place in it, money, religion, sex, education.. literally anything.

You may have never thought about this question before, but once you do, it becomes kind of hard to ignore. Once you find something that you realize has been informing how you live your life that you do not in fact believe in, thats when the fun “forming your own beliefs” starts. If something comes to mind, feel free to write it down, or just ponder it for a little bit.

Because we believe in mixing granola with physical practice, below is a yin practice to help open the lower body while creating a connection to your physical reality. The ‘root’ in root chakra literally refers to your connection to the earth as well as everything that comes into contact with it (i.e your feet and legs).

If you are a pro yogi, feel free to just follow the below images, staying in each asana for around 5 minutes, followed by a savasana (resting pose) of your choice.

**It goes without saying that the yoga cat is entirely optional. But if your cat is like mine, you have no say in the matter.**

Rolling Out Your Feet

Props: dowel, rolling pin or yoga balls

**Disclaimer: This can be an incredibly intense exercise. Your mind might wander to some interesting places. Don’t feel the need to ‘chew’ on anything that crosses your mind, unless you want to.**

Step 1: Place your dowel, ball or rolling pin underneath the toes of your left foot.

Step 2: Put as much of your weight on your left foot as you can. Go slowly, the sensation can be very intense. Relax your upper body and your face.

Step 3: Slowly start to roll your dowel/rolling pin/yoga ball from under your toes towards your heel. This process should take several minutes.

Step 4: Don’t forget to breathe! The deeper you breathe, the easier the discomfort will become.

Step 5: When you get to the end of the left heel, roll you entire foot out on the prop a couple of times. This will help release some muscular tension.

Step 6: Repeats Steps 1-5 on the right foot.

Supported Child’s Pose

Props: pillows/bolster

Step 1: From standing, make your way down to your needs on the mat. Bring your big toes together and take your knees wide

Step 2: Stack several bolsters or pillows in between your knees, whatever you need to get comfy.

Step 3: Bring your hips back towards your toes and rest your chest on your pillow stack. You should now be in Child’s Pose. You can rest your forehead on our pillows, or alternate resting sides of your cheeks.

Step 4: Settle as much of your body into the mat and your props as you can. Stay here for five minutes, adjusting your position as you need to to stay very comfy.

Reclined Bound Angle Pose

Props: pillows or bolsters

Step 1: From Child’s Pose, slowly press yourself up to seated.

Step 2: Bring your legs out in front of you in a diamond, bringing the soles of your feet together. Place one pillow underneath each of your knees.

Step 3: If you have an extra pillow, place it behind your back on the mat.

Step 4: Slowly roll yourself down onto your mat. Relax your shoulders onto either side of your pillow and turn your palms up to the ceiling.

Step 5: Relax into this asana for five minutes, or longer if you want to!

Step 6: Whenever you are ready, slowly roll yourself off of you pillows and rest on your side for a moment. Feel free to move your props out of the way and take a long and juicy savasana if you like!

Step 7: Make your way to a seated position and pat yourself on the back for making it to your mat today!

Thanks for playing along with me Practical Yogis! See you next month for an exploration of Svadisthana (Sacral) Chakra.

Since this is my first post with a practice in it, I would love your feedback! Comment below with what you liked, what you would like to see next time, or better yet, answer the chakra question above!

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